Male tea drinkers 'face increased prostate cancer risk'

Men who drink large amounts of tea could face an increased risk of prostate cancer, Scottish scientists have found.

A research team at the University of Glasgow followed the health of more than 6,000 men, aged 21 to 75, for 37 years.

During that time, 6.4 per cent of the men developed prostate cancer and the researchers found that those who drank more than seven cups of tea per day faced a 50 per cent greater risk of the disease than those who drank less than four cups a day.

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Lead researcher Dr Kashif Shafique, from the university's Institute of Health and Wellbeing, said: 'We don't know whether tea itself is a risk factor or if tea drinkers are generally healthier and live to an older age when prostate cancer is more common anyway.'

Dr Shafique noted that heavy tea drinkers were more likely to have a healthy weight, abstain from alcohol and have healthy cholesterol levels, but that even after taking these factors into account there was still a link between heavy tea drinking and prostate cancer risk.

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However, the Prostate Cancer Charity insisted that the findings - which are published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer - should not cause men to be concerned.

Head of research Dr Kate Holmes pointed out: '[The study] did not take into consideration family history or any other dietary elements other than tea, coffee and alcohol intake.

'It is therefore unclear as to whether there were other factors in play which may have had a greater impact on risk.'

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